Asian Games: India's FIFA stars set sights on glory at seeding event in Seoul

NEW DELHI:  As the Asian Games draw nearer, India's FIFA athletes Charanjot Singh and Karman Singh are gearing up to showcase their dominance against the top athletes from South Asia and gain the best possible seeding for the country at the seeding event from August 2 to 6 in Seoul, South Korea.

Charanjot and Karman will battle it out against the leading athletes from Nepal, Sri Lanka, and Bangladesh in their seeding event fixtures that will commence on August 4. The matches will be played in the best-of-three format and will feature a total of 21 countries from the continent that will be participating in the upcoming Asian Games.

"This seeding event is a great opportunity to test my skills against some of the finest players from Asia and analyze my opponents' strategies. While I have represented India at multiple international FIFA tournaments, doing so at a prestigious multi-sport event like the Asian Games is a feeling of great pride for me. I would like to express my gratitude to ESFI for the gaming gear and coaching support that has helped me improve my performance," said Charanjot.

"I am confident of securing a favorable seeding here that will enhance my chances of a medal in Hangzhou," he added.

The two athletes, who are well-respected names in the nation's FIFA community, sealed their place at the Asian Games 2022 after becoming the finalists of the National Esports Championships (NESC) organised by the Esports Federation of India (ESFI).

In the closely contested final, Charanjot triumphed over Karman with a score of 4-1 and 6-5.

"Both Charanjot and Karman have consistently turned heads with their performances and their growth within the FIFA landscape has been nothing short of extraordinary. With the two athletes being amongst the top-ranked players in South Asia, we have no doubt in their ability to clinch a favorable seeding spot for India. Everyone at ESFI wishes them the best of luck and is confident that they will effortlessly sail through the seeding event fixtures," said Vinod Tiwari, President, Esports Federation of India, in a media release.

After its inclusion as a demonstration title in 2018, Esports is going to make its full-fledged debut as an official medal sport at the 19th Asian Games scheduled to take place from September 23 to October 8. India will be participating in four titles -- League of Legends, FIFA Online 4, Street Fighter V: Champion Edition, and DOTA 2.

While India's League of Legends team secured favorable seeding by going unbeaten against Sri Lanka, Kazakhstan, and Kyrgyzstan at their LAN seeding event in Macau, the nation's DOTA 2 team came second in their seeding group, finishing in the top eight in the overall event that was conducted online.

The country's ace Street Fighter V athletes Ayan Biswas and Mayank Prajapati secured fifth and sixth place respectively in their seeding event.